Microsoft Planner vs. Outlook Tasks: When to Use Which

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on
September 06, 2017

What is the
difference between Microsoft Planner and Outlook Tasks?Microsoft Planner is
great resource to use when creating and managing tasks assigned to you or other
people. Your home page is called the "Planner Hub,” and within each plan
you create, you can pin tasks on specific boards that you’ve named. You can add
members to your plan and assign tasks to those members. You can also write
detailed descriptions of those tasks for your colleagues to see. And be
sure to use Microsoft Planner's built in charts to your advantage, to get a
detailed look of how a task is coming along, and who you need to follow up
with. Tasks are categorized by "not started," "in
progress," and "completed," and depending on how far along you
are in completing the task, you can mark it as so. (Quick Tip)However, it’s important to
note that when you assign a task to a colleague, they are not notified when
they get assigned a task, and the person who created the task is not notified
when the other person completes the task. So, do keep in mind that once you’ve
set your Plan and created and assigned tasks to the appropriate members of your
plan, that you let them know to check in on Microsoft Planner for more detailed
information. Microsoft Planner is great for managing bigger projects with a
team as it also provides you with other central resources to communicate with
your team, such as a Mailbox, Calendar, SharePoint Site, and OneNote.

A simpler way to manage
your everyday tasks would be to use Outlook Tasks within Outlook 2016 or Outlook Web App. Outlook
Tasks can also be created and assigned in Outlook. Using Tasks within Outlook
is better suited for smaller assignments/projects and serves as a great way for
you to keep track of reminders as well on things you need to accomplish.
What’s great with using Tasks in Outlook is that when you assign somebody a
task, that person will be notified. When they finish the task, you will be
notified.

Hopefully this has
cleared up any confusion between the two. Even though both are about creating
tasks, the two are used quite differently.

If you're interested in any training
videos on how to use Microsoft Planner and Outlook Tasks, email info@solartechnj.com.